Did you know that tuberculosis is
one of the oldest known diseases? And that skulls of cavemen show signs of being
infected by this infectious killer.Jim
Murphy and Alison Blank walk through centuries of fascinating history about
this tiny microbe, coupled with drawings from early sufferers evolving along
with treatments and trials paired with pictures of the doctors and patients who
began to pioneer scientific cures. They bring the reader through the dark ages
and leech treatments through to the sanatoriums that spread across the nation
like resort hotels. While this book is information packed and the tone is
serious and scientific, it never feels like it drags or feels like a text book,
which will help readers navigate the history of this disease and mankind inside.

3.CRITICAL ANALYSIS

It seemed like the black and white
images and newspaper like tone of Invincible
Microbe were going to keep this book a slow plod of overwhelming information.However, Murphy and Blank keep the information
light enough to read cover to cover, even when discussing such a heavy
topic.The black and white drawings,
prints, and photo reproductions help to give a face to not only the sufferers,
but to those who applied the knowledge they had to stopping the spread and
seeking a cure for this highly contagious disease.The writing maintains and easy flow and a
positive attitude that life for the patients will get better, just around the
next page.While the outline feels like
an old-fashioned newspaper, the text itself keeps the reader from getting
bogged down in the abundance of information.Organized by time frame, from the earliest known (and presumed) accounts
toward modern research and medicine, this book marches forward at a steady
pace.Pages of source materials and
footnotes throughout the book show the amount of research that went to making
this a well organized source of history and information on one of the world’s
oldest documented diseases.

4.REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

2013 NSTA OUTSTANDING SCIENCE
TRADE BOOKS FOR STUDENTS K—12

KIRKUS REVIEWS
BEST TEEN BOOKS OF 2012

BOOKLIST
TOP 10 BOOKS FOR YOUTH 2012, SCIENCE & HEALTH

ALSC 2013 NOTABLE CHILDREN’S
BOOKS, OLDER READER

From KIRKUS REVIEWS – "Lively
text complemented by excellent well-placed reproductions of photographs,
drawings, flyers, woodcuts, posters and ads . . . . Who knew the biography of a
germ could be so fascinating?"

From SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL – “The
writing is crisp and clinical . . . Students researching diseases or medical
breakthroughs will find this book both informative and interesting.”

5.CONNECTIONS

Gather other books about dark
times and triumph in America to read such as: